


Repercussions

by LasEstrellasdelPurgatorio



Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Angst, Bad Father Vergil, Consequences, Disownment, Family Drama, Hopeful Ending, I'm sorry if this offends anyone, If you think Vergil deserves redemption, My Opinion, Nero not taking it anymore, Not for Dadgil fans, Post-Devil May Cry 5, References to Depression, This Fic is Not For You, Uncle Dante
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:48:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24356827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LasEstrellasdelPurgatorio/pseuds/LasEstrellasdelPurgatorio
Summary: The disaster has passed, but the pain still lingers. Nero knows what he has to do, whether he's happy about it or not.
Relationships: Dante & Nero (Devil May Cry), Nero & Vergil (Devil May Cry), background Kyrie/Nero - Relationship
Comments: 15
Kudos: 47





	Repercussions

**Author's Note:**

> As stated in the tags, please do not read this if you want Vergil to redeem himself and learn to be a father. If that is how you interpret his character, than I am glad that your heart is so willing to forgive and I commend your understanding, Unfortunately, I do not feel the same way. After everything that happened, I cannot find any way to forgive Vergil for what he's done, and the worst is that I cannot see any real sign of remorse for the pain his actions caused. Yes, V had regrets, but if Vergil can be absolved for the Qliphoth because Urizen's feelings weren't the same as his, then why should we believe that he feels the same as V? And I cannot find any reason why he would care about Nero as his son outside of taking responsibility, nor any reason Nero should view him as father after having experienced a loving family. If you would like to discuss your opinions, please do so in the comments section, but I will not tolerate any threats or unreasonable behavior given to me. I apologize if this story is offensive to you, thank you for understanding.

Temen-ni-gru.

The tower he worked tirelessly to reawaken.

All that work… _and his birthright was taken from him_.

The humiliation he suffered, the power of his father, made perverted by that foolish old man, the one who manipulated and withheld information from him.

Perhaps he should have been more… _cautious_ with that fool. Maybe if he had displayed more authority, he would have been more open to sharing necessary information, it wouldn’t have been hard to catch the girl along with his brother and complete the ritual himself. Of course, the fool would have been useless to him then, but maybe the man would have realized that the power was better off in his hands, that he could never hope to understand that which was due to a true son of Sparda.

Though, his mistake he will simply identify as a result of youthful arrogance that a man of many more years could easily take advantage of.

Then of course, his brother just had to try and interrupt his plans.

The idiot would never go along with what he desired, he would disagree with whatever he suggested, hence why he couldn’t simply request his half of the amulet. The simpleton would never try to understand how wrong he was to try and stop him, how important it was to raise the tower and unseal the demons, he’d fight him and would most likely have refused their true potential forever if Vergil hadn’t pitied him and awakened his father’s half of their blood, choosing to live as a weak human for eternity.

To this day, he can’t fathom why Dante was so adverse to him raising the tower, the chance for him to receive what was rightfully his. Perhaps the desire to emerge victorious, while admirable, blinded him to the simple fact that Vergil had done nothing to cause Dante to interfere so frustratingly with his plans. If the fool had wanted to retrieve his half, then Vergil would have returned the brat’s necklace after obtaining the power of their father. Maybe. While the battles they shared excited him, perhaps he should have told him that he would return the necklace, then there would be no fathomable reason for him to continue to interfere with what he wanted.

Again, a mistake of youth, he will admit, underestimating Dante was the decision of a fool, one he paid for dearly when the idiot destroyed what he worked for. A possible alliance would have been the best course of action, but his younger self would have never agreed, nor Dante’s. And naturally, his brother would have wasted their father’s power, his current lifestyle adding to Vergil’s argument; he could have easily risen to power in the human world, but he continues to defend those incapable of defending themselves, something only to be done when you have sworn yourself to a lord or when your actions leave you indebted to them, like his human half who felt himself indebted to those in Redgrave City for the mistakes of his demonic half. Dante has done neither, yet he continues to protect the weak, no matter how he is more punished than rewarded, the fool.

And to completely shatter Vergil’s pride, when he already made him taste defeat, he tried to keep him from entering the home of their father, a place that fool would never have survived in, of course he retaliated.

And, as a testament to his arrogance in youth, he believed he was capable of defeating Mundus. That mistake had cost him more than anything else, and while many of the memories of his torment are now gone, he still knows the feeling of humiliation, serving the beast that brought him misery.

But, now, all is well, and he is free again, finally he has faced his brother and he will not be tormented by a beast, free to battle with Dante whenever the fool isn’t surrounded by any of those imbeciles he associates with, like that foolish Mary or that filthy abomination wearing his mother’s face that Dante clings to. Or galivanting in some filthy corner, indulging in the pathetic pleasures of the human world. Though perhaps…a new rival in the boy can be found when Dante is unavailable.

Though, as the father, he supposes he does owe the child-

“Hey.”

Sensing the boy before he speaks, he turns to see Nero walking up to him, his book in hand.

“Nero.” He greets.

“You and Dante have been back for a while, and I finally got some time off, so I came to give you this back. Sorry, I kinda read a bit of it on the way back home. Couldn’t finish, ‘cause I got distracted helping people relocate after they lost their homes in Redgrave.” He informs, presenting the book to him.

“Yes, thank you.” He accepts the book, though curious at the boy’s expression, hand still stuck out as if frozen.

“…”

“Is something the matter?”

“…Just something I thought I was prepared for. Turns out I wasn’t, don’t worry about it.”

“Very well, what did you think of what you read?”

“Pretty nice, but I’m gonna stick with manga.”

“Hmm…I know that returning my property isn’t the only reason you’ve come, so please stop wasting time trying to delay what you desire to tell me.” He respectfully demands, mentally preparing to continue their battle.

“Heh…alright, that’s fair.”

“Good, then take out your blade,” He states, unsheathing Yamato.

Strangely, the boy steps back, and, meeting his eyes with a stern look, Nero says,

“ _I refuse to fight you._ ”

“…I beg your pardon?”

“You heard me, I refuse to give you a rematch.”

“You will fight me, I am owed a proper battle.”

“Really?” The boy asks with a dark chuckle, walking towards him to look him straight in the eye, telling him,

“ _What the hell do **I** owe **you**?_”

Seeing the resolution in Nero’s eyes, Vergil returns Yamato to the sheath, seeing that he’ll have to hear the boy out before he can try and convince him to listen to reason.

“ _Sorry Vergil… you fucked up, and it’s time you faced the consequences_.” ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Seeing the man in front of him start to stand in place, ready to listen, Nero’s silently grateful that Vergil actually seems to be willing to listen to what he’s going to say.

Still not enough to save him.

“Alright, we know that trying to persecute you legally would be a waste of time, and that killing you isn’t gonna happen, so, congratulations, you have technically gotten away with mass murder.”

“The Qliphoth-”

“That’s not what we’re talking about.”

Taking a breath, Nero calms down before he can start to blow up.

He will NOT show this man the satisfaction of knocking him off his composure again.

“We’re talking about that.” He informs, pointing to the tower in front of them.

“I don’t know how many people died when you raised that thing, but I know what the aftermath was; a shit ton of demons got released into the human world, too many for Dante and Lady to keep from getting out and spreading in every goddamn city, province and country on the planet. Every time someone dies from an attack a hunter couldn’t reach in time, every new horde born, every night we stay awake wondering, ‘Why? Why couldn’t I save anyone?’, there’s a 67% chance your little cheat code attempt can be traced to it.

“And I’m not saying that all of this is on you; Lady told me all about her shitty dad’s part in the whole clusterfuck, and those demons made the decision to kill these people; but you made your decisions, and countless innocent people suffered because of what you chose to do.”

“…And when will you tell me what this means in accordance to why you refuse to fight me on fair terms?” The man asks, no shred of any emotion but a hint of annoyance on his face.

“Because, as much as I would _love_ to beat that look off your face, then I’d be giving you what you want.”

“…”

“So, I will instead be giving you the eternal dissatisfaction of never avenging your defeat at the hands of your bastard because you wore yourself out trying to kill your brother for stealing your pudding cup when you two were six.”

“Hmm,” the older man acknowledges, “I will admit, that this punishment you’ve chosen is definitely an effective one, although…”

 _SHING!_ Yamato is pointed at his neck, faster than he could see, but he refuses to flinch.

“Would you refuse to fight back, if I suddenly attacked you? Would you let me end your life without a struggle, in the name of ‘punishing’ me?”

“…Would you really kill someone that wouldn’t fight back, in the name of punishing you, because you didn’t get what you wanted? That temper tantrum is just going to prove that you couldn’t win fairly and would let people know just how much of an overgrown brat you really are. The victory would never be yours, and you know it.” He glares back, not wavering in the face of a man who’s killed many before and wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.

“…Fine,” And Vergil returns Yamato to her sheath, “Are you satisfied? You’ve dishonored me and my pride as a warrior, what more do you want?”

“Oh no,” Nero tells the man, a smirk on his face with no amusement in his eyes, “that’s just part one.”

“And part two would be?” The man asks, hiding the frustration of being denied under an indifferent façade.

“Heh…it’s funny,” Nero chuckles, still without humor, “All this time, you’ve been fappin’ off with your precious Yamato-”

“You will _not_ disrespect my blade or I with that crass language-”

“That you _never_ took the time to realize…that maybe Yamato wasn’t exactly how you remembered her.”

Shifting so that there’s more distance between the blade and Nero, Vergil asks in suspicion, “What are you-”

“ _Vinculum_.”

And, to the unknowing eye, Vergil suddenly falls to the ground, and rolls in an attempt to free himself from an imaginary hold, arms and feet together behind his back, words coming out a garbled mess.

“Yeah,” Nero begins, walking in a circle around the man that seems to be imitating a caught fish, “Dante never gave me all the details, but he told me his brother raised this shitty tower and nearly doomed the world trying to open up the highway to hell, so, naturally, we were always a little scared that one day Yamato could get taken by some psycho again, long story, and try to bring the apocalypse to our doorsteps, so we had some witches cast a little spell on your sword here: If the blade was ever away from anyone registered as ‘Safe,’ a binding spell would be provided by a demon familiar content to help us out, whenever we asked. Don’t even try to figure out who we got to make the hex, Yamato’s being tracked 24/7 by Trish, Dante, Lady, Lucia and me thanks to another witch, I mean, how’d you think we tracked Urizen’s ass to Redgrave? Dante sure as hell wouldn’t tell anyone, he was busy being a ‘I only work with my shriveled-up old dick’ jackass trying to take you down. Anyway, so we’ll KNOW if you try anything, and those witches wouldn’t think twice about kicking your ass if you tried to get them, and we’d come to finish the job. That goes for anymore, ‘Waahhh, Dante has more power than me, I’m gonna kill a billion people so I can life hack my way to getting power, then lose anyway!,’ bullshit you try. Since we can’t do actual jail, this is the best we’ve got.”

_SNAP!_

Vergil gets up, the invisible chains having dissipated, giving Nero a dirty look, “Anything else?”

“Yeah, just one more thing: You are never allowed to go to Fortuna ever again.”

“…Isn’t that where you live?”

“Yeah, that’s why you’re not allowed; you scared my family, I don’t want you anywhere near them, so sorry, no more Sparda research for you.”

“…Does my suffering amuse you? Are you enraptured by the thought of having power over the man who took your arm?”

Taking another breath to calm himself, clenching his fists, Nero tells the man, “I’d love to say, ‘No,’ but I can’t; you brought this on yourself.”

“Everything that I have done, I have done to become stronger, not to torment the lives of the weak fools that inhabit this world, as you would seem to enjoy believing.”

“That does not excuse _anything_ you’ve done!” Nero starts, but quickly returns to trying to calm himself, “That does not absolve you of indirectly murdering billions of people. It does not absolve you of the families you destroyed, the friends you slayed, the lives ruined by your act of complete selfishness. And it does not absolve you of the pain you caused your brother.”

“Dante is fi-”

“ _Don’t_ talk to me about Dante; he keeps a lot of shit from me, but I still know a hell of a lot more about him than you ever did. Honestly, what do you know about your brother outside of fighting? How many pills he takes to get out of bed in the morning? The nights he cries himself to sleep because he killed his brainwashed brother? How his big brother picked Hell over him? How he’s scared that his mother hates him for not saving him, something he finally knows wasn’t his fault but he still hates himself for? Or the fact that he thinks he’s the one who has to clean up all your screw-ups because he knows you never would? And the overwhelming guilt he feels that his life was honestly at it’s happiest when you were dead? Do you know any of that?”

“Your uncle is not the only one who has suffered, do not make him out to be the sole victim.”

“Oh, I know that. I know you got dealt a pretty shitty hand and in some ways, yeah, your life was worse. I couldn’t imagine being the plaything of the bastard that killed my mother, or going through life thinking that she left me to the wolves. And Dante is just as much of a dumbass as you, keeping that stupid sibling rivalry into his goddamn forties.

“But there is a difference: Yeah, Dante wanted to take you down to prove his dick was bigger, but also because _people were dying because of you_.

“And you hurt someone he cared about. Someone that he let into his life and guided, no matter how much they hurt him with their shitty attitude and all the horrible things they said to him.”

Willing his tears back, Nero continues, “Dante has always put everyone else first, so yeah, I can understand him being selfish and wanting to take you down for himself; I’m still mad at him for it, but I can get it. You, all you’ve ever cared about was yourself. Even when you were split, V, someone who had a decent enough conscience to know that all the shit you did was wrong, still chose to combine with Urizen just to kill Dante; even at your divided core you are selfish and willing to risk lives just to get what you want.

“And I cannot stand by and let someone like that run around free to do all that shit all over again.”

“Nero, I have no intentions to perform anything like growing the Qliphoth again, that was not my conscious decision. You know this.”

“I do…But do you honestly believe that anyone is going to trust you not to do anything crazy again? Because I know that V expressed regret over what you’ve done…

“ _But are **you** in any way sorry for **anything** that you’ve done?_”

“…No, I’m not. I can fight your uncle now, I can defend myself, and I can only grow stronger from here, I have nothing _to_ regret.”

And the sad thing is, as much as he’d like to believe Vergil is lying to him out of shame, he knows every word spewing out of his mouth is the truth.

He ignores the pain in his chest, and moves on.

“Alright then, just wanted to clear that up. Heh, I wonder if V knew that you’d still be like this, that he would have just been content to just break up and die instead of letting you come back. I could never tell with that guy.”

“Is there anything else that you want, or are you content to spew insults and judgement over the life that I have led, child?”

“Yeah, I got something else; a way out of this life that you detest. Because, at the end of the day, you are the reason that I’m here, and I will thank you with this much.”

Seeing Vergil look intrigued at the thought of freedom, Nero knows it’s time to tell him the solution.

_“Take Yamato, open a portal, and stay in the underworld for the rest of your life.”_

...

Wow, Vergil actually looks shocked that he would suggest something like that.

“Even without all of us finally giving you consequences for your shit, I can tell that living in this world is torture to you. So, go back to the underworld where you can show all the other demons down there who has the biggest dick, and once a month you and Dante can meet up and have a fight; I think that’s a pretty good deal, all things considered.”

“…I cannot accept that.”

…

_What?_

“Excuse me?” Nero starts, shocked that the man would refuse the best outcome of his sentence, “Dante is the only reason you’re here, why would you stay and be a prisoner of the people you hate?!”

“Dante is _not_ the only reason that I stay in this world of fools.”

“What else could-”

Seeing the look that Vergil gives him, Nero realizes his answer.

“I refuse to fight you.”

“Yes, but unfortunately, I am still indebted to you, for not taking responsibility for you despite giving you life; if I am the reason for your unplanned life, then I need to take responsibility for the spawn I created.”

“…Is that really how you feel?”

“Yes.”

“ _Then I relieve you of that burden._ ”

“That is not your decision to-”

“Then I’ll tell you that you are incapable of fulfilling that responsibility: I’m an adult that can support himself and his family while you don’t have a dollar to your name and are dependent on a brother that is frequently in danger of squatting in a cardboard box; you cannot provide financial support. I have received adequate knowledge of the changes from child to adult and maintaining the proper health of a human being from Credo and received knowledge of more demonic aspects from Dante and Trish; you cannot explain my body to me. My moral character has already been shaped by my experiences without you; the character you show is nothing I _ever_ want to be like. Basically, there’s nothing you can do for me.”

“Regardless, as your father, I am owed the respect that-”

“My father died when I was ten because of the Order. They killed a kind man who gave me a home, would bounce me on his knee, and made me feel safe for the very first time in my life.”

“…Excu-”

“Upon his death, my brother Credo took the responsibility of raising me. He was strict but fair, and I wanted to make him proud more than anything else in the world. And when he died, I was lost and in need of guidance, so another took me under his wing.”

“That does not change the fact that-”

“Dante took me in, and has looked after me ever since.”

“Hm. Even now, Dante takes what isn’t his.”

Looking at the older man with as much anger as he will allow himself Nero steels himself and says, “Dante has helped me in more ways than you ever could. And my family before that taught me how to love in a world where I got used to a constant stream of hatred from everyone around me. I have been lucky enough to have had three fathers in my life, and none of them are you.”

Without any hint of regret, Nero tells the man, “ _You are **not** my father._”

“…Are you done?”

“…Yeah, yeah, I’m done Vergil. This…was your only warning, and hopefully after this, we’ll never see each other again.”

Looking at him with a more subdued expression, “Please just live in the underworld. I honestly think that you’ll be much happier there.”

“You seem to care greatly about the happiness of one that you hate.” The man says, suspicious.

“That’s the thing, Vergil,” Nero says as he turns and begins to walk away, “even after everything…I don’t hate you.”

Stopping on his way out, “I thought I did, but learning about you and what was done to you, and seeing where your choices have led, to someone who can’t feel genuine love or concern for anyone else…”

Turning back to regard Vergil with a rueful expression, he gives the greatest punishment he could think of onto someone like the man who began and tried to end his life before he leaves:

“ _I pity you_.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Walking home from the job, Dante thinks he’s finally starting to get back into the rhythm of things.

_Should probably call the kid, though, it’s been a bit since the last sundae-eating contest, maybe Patty’s free to come this time._

And, because his life is a joke, speak of the devil and he shall come.

“Kid! What are you doin’ back in town?” He greets as he and Nero walk towards each other just in front of the shop.

“Just returning something to your brother, took a bit longer than I thought.” He answers, but something seems…off.

“Well, if you wanted to check up on your old man, you should never assume anything; nerd can ditch ya after talkin’ for five seconds or leave you stuck listenin’ to a tangent for hours.”

“My old man? Dante, me and Kyrie’s dad died when we were in grade school, you know this.”

…

… _Oh_.

Looking straight into Nero’s eyes, the part of his face that betrays how casual he’s trying to play it, they tell Dante how it went down.

 _It’s not gonna work out_.

“…Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“With you, when am I not?” The kid asks with a chuckle and a smirk forming.

Putting a hand on the kid’s shoulder, he tells him, “Well, you always got this sexy silver fox if you need to a rugged older man to show you the ropes.”

And there it is, that’s what finally convinces the kid to stop trying to look tough, and before he knows it, he’s got a shaking, sobbing brat pressing his face into his chest.

Sighing, Dante re-maneuvers his arms to pull the kid in closer, one on the back of his stupid faux-hawk, the other rubbing circles into his back, trying to calm him down, “Okay Nero, let it out, you’re doin’ good. You don’t have ta keep it together, it’s just ol’ Dante, just have your meltdown.”

It takes awhile before the kid can make full sentences again, but he didn’t have any real plans for the rest of the day anyway, so he doesn’t mind waiting.

“…I’m still mad at you.” The kid mutters, face still on Dante’s now wet shirt.

“I know.”

“Were you concerned at all about what he was doing? Or is your goddamn pissing contest more important than how many people had to suffer?”

“Yeah, it was stupid, but the whole time, I kept thinkin’, ‘That’s it. He crossed the line, time to put him down.’ I just…stopped thinkin’ of him as a person and more of another heartless thing from Hell, so I thought that Redgrave turnin’ into demon Chernobyl was a given, people were gonna die, and that was that. Ain’t right, but I lost it.”

“Why?”

“He went after you. He took Lady and Trish. I didn’t think about anyone else, just how much he did to hurt me, _because_ _of course,_ all that was to hurt me. Heh, we’re really not that different, are we? Selfish old bastards that think the world revolves around them.”

“Don’t say that, I’ve seen what kind of a person you can be when he’s not a threat.”

“Yeah?”

“ _I see a hero_.”

“…Kid-”

“But not mine…not right now. Not the man who’s kept things from me, things I had a right to know about for years, not the one who called me ‘Deadweight’ instead of letting anyone know what was going on, not the one who nearly got us all killed to have a shot at his brother and ignored the suffering around him.”

“That’s…fair.”

“I’m sorry, but…you knew how I felt about Credo and all that _and you used it against me._ ”

“Hey, hey, it’s not your fault, that’s on me, okay? I wanted to keep you out of it, but you’re a stubborn shit, just like everyone else, never would’ve worked.”

“Heh…ain’t that the truth?”

“I’m sorry, Nero. I really am.”

“Did you even _think_ about us when you went down there?”

“That’s why I went; I had to make sure Vergil wouldn’t try anything like that again, and we had to get rid of that damn tree.”

“Vergil’s not gonna be a problem anymore; he’s trapped.”

“What’d you do?”

“I sentenced him to life and death if he tries to pull something, I’m not letting anyone die because someone else wants power. Yamato’s trapped, and he won’t get rid of her.”

“…Of course you did, somewhere along the line, little Mr. Hothead became the only one with any degree of common sense.” He chuckles, lifting the kid’s chin up and ruffling his hair.

“Heh, the bar isn’t very high, gramps.” The kid chuckles wiping a tear off his face.

“But I’m not gonna let you kill him if he acts up.”

“Dante, I can’t let you kill him. And no, it’s not because you two are overgrown toddlers about this whole rivals thing.”

That surprises Dante, “Then why?”

With a clear resolve, the kid tells him, “Because you’re just gonna hate yourself even more if you do it, and you don’t need that. But the thing is…you’re the only one who’s going to feel that way.”

“Kid, I’ll be fine-”

“You won’t. We all know you won’t. But I will. Because I can’t associate that man with any form of family. So I can do it, and I’ll have everyone’s help. Because no one wants to watch you suffer anymore.”

“…Sigh. Then let’s just hope it never comes to it, then.”

“Yeah…”

They stay like that for awhile, until Nero manages to get himself back under control, breaking up the hug and taking a breath.

“Alright, I need to start heading home, Kyrie and the kids are probably worried, and Nico’s probably poking through my stuff.”

“Awww, ya came all this way, how ‘bout ya let Uncle Dante take you out for ice cream?”

“How old do you think I am, six?”

“You’re not?”

Muttering, “ _Bastard_ ,” under his breath, the kid continues, “Nahh, it’s better I get out now.”

“Come on, we haven’t been to Fredi’s in-”

“ _I don’t want to be around you right now_.”

Looking at the kid, tired but adamant, Dante knows that no amount of ice cream is going to smooth things over.

“I’m sorry,” the kid continues, “but I…I can’t just forget what you pulled, and when I’m around you, I’m happy, but I’m just so angry at the same time for lying to me, not telling me things, e…everything, I, I can’t, it _hurts_ to be around you.”

“…Okay.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“But…”

The kid walks back over, putting both his hands on Dante’s shoulders.

“ _I’m not giving up on you_.”

“…Thanks.”

Giving him one more pat on the shoulders, the kid moves off and starts to head out, before stopping and turning back, “I’ll let you know when I’m ready to talk, so pay your damn electric bill for once, okay?”

Smirking, Dante retorts, “I make no promises.”

“And that is why Morrison should have just sold the place to Lady; she might’ve been a better boss, honestly.”

“That’s just cold, kid.”

“Whatever, grandpa.”

“Get home safe, alright?”

“…Yeah, love you too, Dante.”

And he watches the kid leave, sickly satisfied that even with all the ways that they’re similar and all the ways Vergil will always be better…he still has his family.

Heading into the building, not sure what Vergil’s next move is, he goes to look at the bills Morrison left for him.

**Author's Note:**

> The witches that made the hex were Bayonetta and Jeanne, and Patty made the tracker.


End file.
